The University of Michigan Global Course Connections Program, Slavic Department and Residential College have teamed up to provide students with a unique opportunity—to travel to St. Petersburg and northern provincial Russia for 10 days of community service, sightseeing, research projects and personal growth. On this blog, participants will tell about their experiences before, during, and after their spring break trip.

Monday, March 5, 2012

On Thursday, we ventured out from Vytegra to the surrounding villages to visit the schools. Instantly, we could tell a difference between the schools we had visited in Vytegra and the one we were placed in at the village. For one thing, there was a huge difference in the ability of the students there to speak and understand English, and they appeared to be much more nervous about interacting with us than the kids in Vytegra.

After visiting the classes, we had tea with some of the school staff and a few of the children who had served as guides. Because it was the first day of spring, the younger children gave a short performance: